The mystery has led to numerous theories as to the true identity of the killer and spawned countless books, TV documentaries and films. Sadly, the Holy Father was on Team Dad too, and told her he would never condone her defection or marriage. 'I'm no legal expert, but a written document that would appear to back up a motive for a murder suspect would be worthy of closer scrutiny by investigating police officers today. According to the official Court Circular, family journals and letters, newspaper reports and other sources, he could not have been near any of the murders. [34][35] Letters exchanged between the Treasury Solicitor, Sir Augustus Stephenson, and his assistant, Hamilton Cuffe, make coded reference to Newton's threats to implicate Albert Victor. Though Knights information had allegedly come from the grandson of Albert Victor and his anonymous wife, this theorymuch like Dr. Thomas Stowellsfailed to prove a single thing. Catherine of Aragon was King Henry VIIIs first wife and longest-lasting Queen of England. I still continue to have this tiresome glete which comes on at times, although at present it has stopped. Furthermore, Prince Albert Victor had an alibi for a few of the murders. Unfortunately for Prince Albert, Princess Helene was Roman Catholic. [80], In 1891, Albert Victor wrote to Lady Sybil St Clair Erskine that he was in love once again, though he does not say with whom. Wrong. Our editors are instructed to fact check thoroughly, including finding at least three references for each fact. The two letters have been owned by a British collector of royal correspondence for over 20 years and are now being sold by International Autograph Auctions with a pre-sale estimate of 3,000. Until suddenly, the prince caught a dubious break. The Corn Laws were a system of importation restrictions in place during the time of the famine in Ireland. Schoolchildren aged 11 are being given history lessons in Did Jack the Ripper have a copycat rival? During his life, the bulk of the British press treated Albert Victor with nothing but respect and the eulogies that immediately followed his death were full of praise. According to Dr. Stowell, a syphilis outbreak occurred in the Caribbean. Oh, you know, just a term for gonorrhea discharge. Another theory suggested that one of the Ripper victims was pregnant with Prince Albert Victors unborn child. 8081. Under police interrogation, the male prostitutes and pimps revealed the names of their clients, who included Lord Arthur Somerset, an Extra Equerry to the Prince of Wales. Aronson, p. 197 and Cook, pp. Yeahthis went weird (and steamy) places. Prince Albert Victor had always been close to his mother Alexandra, and her reaction to his passing was harrowing. The media frenzy eventually faded, but Stowell was far from the last to suggest that Prince Albert Victor and Jack the Ripper were one and the same. The whispers caught on like wildfire, and soon The Cleveland Street Scandal became a matter of national concern. Cook p. 103, quoting from correspondence in the Royal archives Z 474/63. STDs were rife and there was no easy cure. [36], In December 1889, it was reported that the Prince and Princess of Wales were "daily assailed with anonymous letters of the most outrageous character" bearing upon the scandal. A stagnant military career, apathetic personality, and rumoured homosexuality all contributed to the fact that he was largely seen as a disappointment to the Royal family, before his premature death in 1892 at the age of just 28. A Buckingham Palace official unearthed an issue of The Times from October 1, 1888, which reported that two women had been murdered in London the previous night. She had become an alcoholic and seemed deranged. He published an article which accused Prince Albert Victor of being Jack the Ripper, based mainly on the findings of the Princes physician, Sir William Gull. Years later, I was using her phone when I made an utterly chilling discovery. SIR . This was actually an incredibly touching gesture: The bouquet just so happened to be her bridal wreath. In the second letter, he asked his surgeon - named only as Roche - to send him more pills. From the time of his birth, he was second in the line of succession to the British throne, but did not become king or Prince of Wales because he died before both his grandmother and his father. Albert Victor was known to his family, and many later biographers, as "Eddy". Five of the smaller figures were only completed with "a greater roughness and pittedness of texture" after his return to Britain in the 1920s.[106]. The allegations were reported to Buckingham Palace and the head of the police Special Branch investigated. Had they been wise, hearing what I knew and therefore what others knew, they ought to have hushed the matter up, instead of stirring it up as they did, with all the authorities. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. The best revenge might be living well, but that doesn't mean we can always turn the other cheek. Its no wonder, then, that he tried to settle down and make an honest man of himself, even starting a romantic flirtation with Princess Helene of Orleans. The cause of his death has long been attributed to typhoid fever - but was this really what killed him? All Rights Reserved. Yet by the time of his premature death in 1892, he had disappointed his family and been linked to a sexual scandal. Madame de Pompadour didn't just share King Louis XV's bed, she also shared his power. [51], The rumours persisted; sixty years later the official biographer of George V, Harold Nicolson, was told by Lord Goddard, who was a twelve-year-old schoolboy at the time of the scandal, that Albert Victor "had been involved in a male brothel scene, and that a solicitor had to commit perjury to clear him. He hardly knows the meaning of the words to read". Before Prince Alberts renovations, the sewer waters would regularly flood the kitchen and release an odor through the entire palace. The Leafs complete the comeback and defeat the Lightning in overtime of Game 4 to take a 3-1 series lead. In Balmoral Castle, he proposed to Alix, but she did not return his affections and refused his offer of engagement. That December, with scandal still raging, Prince Alberts family showed their power in a disturbing way. [15] At Bachelor's Cottage, Sandringham, Albert Victor was expected to cram before arriving at university in the company of Dalton, French instructor Monsieur Hua, and a newly chosen tutor/companion, James Kenneth Stephen. Lord Arthur Somerset to Reginald Brett, 2nd Viscount Esher, 10 December 1889, quoted in Cook, p. 197. How old was Bertie when Prince Albert died? However, a Jack the Ripper expert today rubbished the prospect that these letters proved Prince Albert Victor, who was known as Eddy, was the ripper. Prince Albert Victor, a grandson of Queen Victoria, was the eldest son of King Edward VII but predeceased his father at age 28 and so never became king. In the fall of 1889, right in the midst of the Cleveland Street Scandal, Albert escaped away on a planned tour to British India. Prince Albert Victors college years are shrouded in some mystery, with many historians bemoaning how little information we have about his personal life at the timeso much so that some claim he spent these years completely chaste. Oh, and then there was Alberts bride. Just as plans for both his marriage to Mary and his appointment as Viceroy of Ireland were under discussion, Albert Victor fell ill with influenza in the pandemic of 1889-1892. Rumours in his time linked him with the Cleveland Street scandal, which involved a homosexual brothel; however, there is no conclusive evidence that he ever went there, or was indeed homosexual. Prince Albert Victor natal chart (Placidus) natal chart English style (Equal houses) natal chart with Whole Sign houses. Around this time, seedy scandal struck again. Despite this, his name will seemingly continue to be linked with enthusiasts for years to come. Despite Stephens doubts, Prince Albert and his entourage went to Cambridge anywayand he received a shocking education. Sure, the prince floundered in his studies like everyone predicted, but he proved very successful in society. However, while sifting through the list of suspects, one of the most shocking names you might encounter is that of Prince Albert Victor. He wrote, I can quite understand the Prince of Wales being much annoyed at his son's name being coupled with the thing but that was the case before I left it we were both accused of going to this place but not together they will end by having out in open court exactly what they are all trying to keep quiet. He died from tercery STD in his 40's. STD's in Victorian England . Please submit feedback to contribute@factinate.com. In his youth, Stowell was friends with Caroline Acland, the daughter of a royal family physician named Sir William Gull. Any theory submitted without clear evidence to support it is always going to come under doubt and suspicion - and this is exactly the case with Juliens theory. [79] The wedding was set for 27 February 1892. Stowell never named a suspect in his article, but he didnt need to. The Duke of Clarence's full style, as proclaimed at his funeral by Garter King of Arms, was: "[the] Most High, Mighty, and Illustrious Prince Albert Victor Christian Edward, Duke of Clarence and Avondale, Earl of Athlone, Duke of Saxony, Prince of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, Knight of the Most Noble Order of the Garter, Knight of the Most Illustrious Order of Saint Patrick". Now, Albert wasnt the first royal to show lax academic prowess, but there were signs something much worse was going on. No clan is left untouched, and even families that seem happy and normal on. By the late 1880s, the disease had spread to the patients brain, apparently inspiring him to exact revenge upon nearby prostitutes in Londons Whitechapel district. Stowell theorized that Eddy, crazed by the effects of syphilis, committed the murders. Prince Albert Victor apparently couldnt play coy to save his life, because chances are the person he was in love with was Lady Sybil herself. At his trial the following January, the prosecution produced documents showing that Haddon's enlistment papers, marriage certificate, officer's commission, demobilisation papers and employment records all showed he was born in or before 1887, at least two years before Albert Victor met Mrs. Haddon. Jullian made a passing reference to rumours that Albert Victor might have been responsible . Prince Eddy died of "pneumonia" at age 28 in 1892, suggesting he may have had a compromised immune system, including exposure to syphilis at age 16. When he succumbed to his illness, the rights of succession naturally passed to his younger brother George, who eventually became King George V. But that wasnt all George took from him: Just a year after his brothers passing, George also wed Mary of Teck. The Prince also appears as the murder victim in the first of the Lord Francis Powerscourt crime novels Goodnight Sweet Prince, and as a murder suspect in the novel Death at Glamis Castle by Robin Paige. Their solution? While on tour, Prince Albert Victor met and struck up an affair with a married woman named Margery Haddon, the wife of a civil engineer in India. Following his grandmother Queen Victoria's wishes, he was named Albert Victor, after herself and her late husband, Albert. The two princes were given a strict programme of study, which included games and military drills as well as academic subjects. Yet even so, there was a strange energy about him that, as one commenter put it, made people whisper, He will never come to the throne. Well, he never didand the reasons why are tragic. The family decided that this was the right thing to do. 'Besides, Prince Albert was in Scotland at the time of one of the murders. 7,000 troops from 40 countries hold full-scale rehearsal as RAF base is Latin translation of 'long live Queen Camilla, long live King Charles' will greet royal couple as they enter Rare 12th century coin that depicts Malcolm IV of Scotland will go on show in Dunfermline to mark the King's Do not sell or share my personal information. He died young and unexpectedly at the age of 42 in December 1861. But Albert and Helene were young, in love, and willing to do anything for passionso they came up with a daring plan. "[69] In 1894, she married Tsar Nicholas II of Russia, another of Albert Victor's cousins. The distraught queen forbade an autopsy, which could have determined the caused of the royal consort's death with more certainty.Something needed to take the blame, and for the last 150 years, typhoid got the stick. Patients were. Of course, this just pushed the couple to even more desperate measures. Queen Victoria writing to Victoria, Princess Royal, 12 November 1891 and 19 November 1891, quoted in Pope-Hennessy, p. 207. He wrote: 'I think I had better go on taking them for a bit. [120] Biographer Andrew Cook continued attempts to rehabilitate Albert Victor's reputation, arguing that his lack of academic progress was partly due to the incompetence of his tutor, Dalton; that he was a warm and charming man; that there is no tangible evidence that he was homosexual or bisexual; that he held liberal views, particularly on Irish Home Rule; and that his reputation was diminished by biographers eager to improve the image of his brother, George.[121]. [98], The nation was shocked. His tomb, by Alfred Gilbert, is "the finest single example of late 19th-century sculpture in the British Isles". The British royal family was staunchly Protestant, and many of Alberts relations would be aghast at the thought of him entertaining the possibility of loving a Catholic. The Prince of Mirrors by Alan Robert Clark is a historical novel which closely follows the factual trajectory of Albert Victor's documented life, and imaginatively interweaves how that life might have been emotionally. After two unsuccessful courtships, he became engaged to be married to Princess Victoria Mary of Teck in late 1891. Aronson, p. 105; Cook, p. 281; Harrison, p. 238. Although Prince Albert got some warm, fluttery feelings when he thought about his pretty cousin (ew), her response was ice cold. [60] In Bangalore he laid the foundation stone of the Glass House at the Lalbagh Botanical Gardens on 30 November 1889. [37] The Prince of Wales intervened in the investigation; no clients were ever prosecuted and nothing against Albert Victor was proven. Rumours in his time linked him with the Cleveland Street scandal, which involved a homosexual brothel; however, there is no conclusive evidence that he ever went there, or was indeed homosexual. Subscribe to the MASTERPIECE email newsletter for weekly show news, schedule updates, and features on shows including Tom Jones. Believe it or not, the biggest blow to Prince Albert Victors legacy came from inside his own family. In the very same newspaper, it was mentioned that Prince Albert Victor had been at Balmoral Castle in Scotland on September 30. He was the second son born to Ernest III, Duke . [123], With his dukedom, Albert Victor was granted a coat of arms, being the royal arms of the United Kingdom, differenced by an inescutcheon of the arms of Saxony and a label of three points argent, the centre point bearing a cross gules.[141]. 221, 230. Historys most fascinating stories and darkest secrets, delivered to your inbox daily. Except, well, there might be a scandalous reason for the lack of dirt: He had something to hide. He was the first child of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, and his wife Alexandra of Denmark. Yep, he took Alberts bride from his cold, dead hands. [26] Princess Augusta of Cambridge was also dismissive, calling him: "si peu de chose" [such a small thing]. [64], In the 1920s, however, the son, Clarence, repeated the story and published a book in the United States, My Uncle George V, in which he claimed he was born in London in September 1890, about nine months after Albert Victor's meeting with Mrs. Haddon. Long-limbed and slim, he was strikingly handsome in a rakish way, and he had absolutely no problem using his good looks to charm people. [33] The prostitutes had not named Albert Victor, and it is suggested that Somerset's solicitor, Arthur Newton, fabricated and spread the rumours to take the heat off his client. I'm a doctor and here are the 5 signs you may have intestinal parasites, Why I've ditched a lifetime of possessions and downsized at 70 for my children, How to give yourself a natural facelift for just 25p! Thanks for your time! I knew that she was going to take it badly, but I had no idea about the insane lengths she would go to just to get revenge and mess with my life. Making distraction rewarding since 2017. Most of us can only dream of the life Prince Albert Victor was born into. Additionally, Prince Albert Victor's death was also heavily scrutinised. Today, there may be no English prince as controversial, scandalous, or ultimately as tragic as Prince Albert Victor. In 1871, the Queen appointed John Neale Dalton as their tutor. [88] In 2002, letters purported to have been sent by Albert Victor to his solicitor referring to a payoff made to Richardson of 200 were sold at Bonhams auction house in London. [109] On the day of Albert Victor's death, the leading Liberal politician, William Ewart Gladstone, wrote in his personal private diary "a great loss to our party". It was a date with destiny. [76] When Albert Victor died, his sisters Maud and Louise sympathized with Hlne and treated her, not his fiance Princess Victoria Mary of Teck, as his true love. Major Miles quoted in Aronson, p. 81, Cook, p. 123 and Harrison, p. 92. Name: Albert Victor, Prince: Gender: M: Birthname: Albert Victor Christian Edward born on: 8 January 1864 at 20:58 (= 8:58 PM ) . Perhaps the biggest indicator of Albert's continued presence on Victoria is the timeline. [67][68] He persisted in trying to convince Alix to marry him, but he finally gave up in 1890 when she sent him a letter in which she told him "how it grieves her to pain him, but that she cannot marry him, much as she likes him as a Cousin. And then Albert sent poor Mary a cruel message from beyond the grave. After Albert's death, Victoria spent the first weeks of her widowhood with the Duchess as her only companion. 213217; Cook, p. 10; McDonald pp. Get the scoop on the true history behind Victoria Season 2 Episode 4, and see images from the era of Her Majestys reign. [4], Though he learned to speak Danish, progress in other languages and subjects was slow. Although there is evidence that Prince Albert enjoyed the company of a hot male tutor or two, he also wasnt immune to feminine wilesits just that he had horrible luck when it came to women. Juliens bold theory linked Prince Albert Victor with the horrifying murders committed by Jack the Ripper. Like every good little royal, Alberts parents expected him to study at a prestigious college, and he was all set to go to Cambridge. Lydia Manton was the petite amie of a certain young prince, and that, too, quite recently. The mystery has led to numerous theories as to the true identity of the killer and spawned countless books, TV documentaries and films, including the 2001 Johnny Depp movie 'From Hell' which implicated the prince. Even more scandalously, the apple of his eye was reportedly none other than the commoner chorus girl Lydia Miller. "[100] His younger brother Prince George wrote, "how deeply I did love him; & I remember with pain nearly every hard word & little quarrel I ever had with him & I long to ask his forgiveness, but, alas, it is too late now! I wonder if it is really a fact or only an invention of that arch ruffian H[ammond]. He died before his father, whose reign lasted between 1901 and 1910, and grandmother Victoria.